I´d expect Kovtun, Song and Aaron to rise up on the list a lot. Perhaps even Verner will give us a positive surprise at Worlds?

What would Song need to place at Worlds to get more points than he got for finishing 6th at 4CC? I thought it needed to be pretty high, so unless he skates really well, I don't think Worlds is likely to help his WS, because only one ISU championship per season counts toward WS right?

It's just so interesting if Russia did not have a gp maybe only one Russian skater would get two gp events in the season they host the olympics!

Uh? Menshov and Kovtun appear in both Top 24 SB and WS plus the later has good chances of making top 12 at worlds. Then Voronov is safe among the SB and will finish around 25-26th in the WS so I think those three will get 2 events regardles of where they are from a Host fed or not.

Unless of course Russian fed screws Menshov again and "retire" him by not submitting his name like they did with Sokolova a few years ago.

Sorry to ask what may seem like silly questions about the Grand Prix assignments, but I don't know much about it. Are the assignments decided based on the season's best lists or the world rankings lists? What happens when skaters have taken seasons off or are returning from injury and aren't on said lists. This applies less to the men, but I was wondering how things might work if Lysacek, Weir, Ando, Kim, and Czisny come back next year and want to skate on the circuit. Are there wild card/discretionary entries for each federation that hosts an event?

Sorry to ask what may seem like silly questions about the Grand Prix assignments, but I don't know much about it. Are the assignments decided based on the season's best lists or the world rankings lists? What happens when skaters have taken seasons off or are returning from injury and aren't on said lists. This applies less to the men, but I was wondering how things might work if Lysacek, Weir, Ando, Kim, and Czisny come back next year and want to skate on the circuit. Are there wild card/discretionary entries for each federation that hosts an event?

Usually most of the names overlap in all three of these lists so 90% of the time a skater who makes the cut gets 2 events at the first announcement of assignments.

Then there are the host picks where the host Federation can pick any skater they want regardless of previous results/rankings. Most of the time these picks are used to select their local up and coming skaters who otherwise wouldn't get an opportunity on the elite level.

As for the coming back rule, a skater who has been previously a top 6 at Worlds and has missed last or previous seasons due to injury or temporal retirement can apply for consideration for 2 events which they always get since they are usually big names. However this is a "one time only" exception. Weir and Ando have already used them (and wasted them ).

If there are still spots left to fill the feds can invite any skater from the rest of the Top 75 Season Best list who is submited for consideration.

Czisny placed 5th at Worlds 2011, then was injured in 2012 and skated badly. She had surgery in the summer of 2012 and did opt for one 2012 GP event but withdrew because she wasn't ready. Then she was injured again. I'm not sure if she qualifies under the 'returning from injury' clause.

As already mentioned, Weir and Ando used up their one-time-only card. Lysacek blew his chance in the 2011-2012 GP, when he was scheduled for 2 events but withdrew.

There was once a rule that JGPF and JW medalists were guaranteed one event, but since the reduction in the number of singles and ice dance entries, that guarantee was phased out.

When there are withdrawals from the original invitations, there is a substitute list based on the Seasons Best list of the previous year. Substitutes are drawn from the top 5 on the list who have only one GP invitation or none as yet, but the selection is not necessarily done in list order. Some host federations will choose the skater who offers the least competition to their own skaters.

Usually most of the names overlap in all three of these lists so 90% of the time a skater who makes the cut gets 2 events at the first announcement of assignments.

Then there are the host picks where the host Federation can pick any skater they want regardless of previous results/rankings. Most of the time these picks are used to select their local up and coming skaters who otherwise wouldn't get an opportunity on the elite level.

As for the coming back rule, a skater who has been previously a top 6 at Worlds and has missed last or previous seasons due to injury or temporal retirement can apply for consideration for 2 events which they always get since they are usually big names. However this is a "one time only" exception. Weir and Ando have already used them (and wasted them ).

If there are still spots left to fill the feds can invite any skater from the rest of the Top 75 Season Best list who is submited for consideration.